Shawdesh desk:

In February, Russia will preside at the UN Security Council (UNSC), one of the key bodies of this international organization, which, in accordance with its Charter, bears primary responsibility for maintaining global peace and security.

A UNSC debate on February 7 on the topic, Humanitarian Aspects of the UN Security Council Sanctions Regimes, will be a central event.

Russia hoped that the debate will coordinate shared approaches to minimising the negative consequences of international restrictive measures that hinder economic development and lower living standards, especially in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

In particular, the Russian Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday (Feb 2) said Russia intend to emphasise the need to expand the practice of humanitarian exceptions and exemptions, as well as to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of this practice.

“We also consider it useful to focus during the meeting on unilateral sanctions that have a serious negative impact on the humanitarian situation in individual countries. We hope that the debate will contribute to an understanding of the importance of depoliticizing the humanitarian dossier and deepening collective action in this area,” reads a press statement.

On February 17, Russia plans to organize a traditional Council briefing timed to coincide with the anniversary of the signing of the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements of 2015 and the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2202, which approved it.

The briefing will provide an opportunity to highlight the role of the Council in supporting the implementation by the parties of the above agreements, which is particularly important with Kiev being clearly and increasingly unwilling to fulfil its obligations.

In addition, on February 16, they also plan to hold a debate on UN-CSTO interaction. The participants will discuss ways to expand this cooperation, taking into account the association’s significant role in ensuring security in the Eurasian space, which was demonstrated by its effective steps to promote normalization of the situation in Kazakhstan.

It is important to consider the CSTO’s significant potential in countering terrorist and drug trafficking threats emanating from Afghanistan, as well as the prospects for linking the association to the UN’s peacekeeping activities.

Other important items on the Security Council’s February agenda include political and humanitarian aspects of the situation in Syria, the state of affairs in the Central African Republic, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Haiti, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the Middle Eastern settlement, and combatting terrorism.

As a permanent member of the Security Council and a responsible participant in the international community, Russia will make every effort that is required to ensure the effective operation of this body in the interests of overcoming crises by political and diplomatic means and maintaining global stability, said the statement.